What's a Prime Number?

What's a Prime Number?

Note:

Prime numbers aren't too hard to define, but they still puzzle professional mathematicians. Believe it or not, all over the word computers are chugging away, trying to find the next biggest prime! Bigger and bigger prime numbers help keep your credit card info safe through really cool encryption techniques. So prime numbers really matter every day, and you can learn how they are defined in this tutorial.

Keywords:

  • definition
  • prime
  • prime number

Further Exploration

  • Factoring Strategies

      • What's a Prime Polynomial?What's a Prime Polynomial?

      What's a Prime Polynomial?

      If the only factors a polynomial are 1 and itself, then that polynomial is prime. To learn all about prime polynomials, check out this tutorial!

  • Prime Factorization

  • Greatest Common Factor

      • How Do You Find the Greatest Common Factor of Two Numbers Using Prime Factorization?How Do You Find the Greatest Common Factor of Two Numbers Using Prime Factorization?

      How Do You Find the Greatest Common Factor of Two Numbers Using Prime Factorization?

      This tutorial uses something called a factor tree to find the greatest common factor of two numbers. Creating a factor tree for a number makes it easier to find its prime factors. These prime factors are used to help find the greatest common factor. Watch this tutorial and learn how to find the greatest common factor using a factor tree.